Judge maintains $196,000 bail for attempted murder suspect who eluded police for 5 days

A Hilo District Court judge maintained bail at $196,000 for an Ocean View man accused of shooting his girlfriend in the head with a shotgun last week and leading police on a five-day manhunt across the island.

Ronald Kahihikolo, 44, appeared virtually from the Hilo cellblock Monday afternoon where Judge Jeffrey Hawk ordered him to appear for a preliminary hearing at the Kona District Court on Wednesday morning. During Monday’s hearing, the public defender asked for a bail reduction, which was denied. Kahihikolo is charged with the following:

• Second-degree attempted murder.
• Abuse of a family/household member.
• Ownership/possession of a firearm prohibited.
• Carrying a firearm in the commission of a separate felony.
• Unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle
• First-degree theft.
• Resisting an order to stop.
• Contempt of court.
• Two counts of violations of conditions of release on bail, recognizance or supervised release.
• Two counts of discharge of sureties.

Charges stem from an incident on March 7 where a 42-year-old woman was shot during a domestic dispute in the 92-2000 block of Outrigger Drive in Ocean View. The woman sought medical attention for the gunshot wound at the Ocean View Fire Station. She was transported to Kona Community Hospital, where she was in stable condition.

Kahihikolo eluded capture for five days. Authorities came close to catching the him on March 10 after plainclothes Area II Vice detectives received information that Kahihikolo was in the Kona area and in the company of individuals who were in possession of two stolen vehicles, a silver Chevy Malibu and a white Dodge sedan, and were getting gas. As the detectives canvassed the area, they spotted the Malibu as it was traveling southbound on Kamakaeha Avenue.

As the Malibu came to a stop at the intersection of Kamakaeha Avenue and Palani Road, the detectives attempted to contact the vehicle’s driver, identified as 32-year-old Kainoa Kahele-Bishop of Kailua-Kona, and a passenger, 26-year-old Jacqueline Keana‘aina of Kailua-Kona, Kahele-Bishop ignored commands to show police his hands and began reaching for an object.

Fearing for their safety, two detectives discharged their duty weapons, police said.

Kahele-Bishop then drove the vehicle across all lanes of Palani Road and about 10 feet down an embankment before coming to a stop. The detectives ran toward the car, and seeing Kahele-Bishop was injured, immediately began administering life-saving measures. Kahele-Bishop died at the scene, according to police.

After executing a search warrant on the Malibu, detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigation Section recovered two firearms — a loaded sawed-off shotgun and an unloaded bolt-action rifle — more than 25 rounds of ammunition, one spent round of ammunition and eight credit cards that did not belong to either of the vehicle’s occupants.

A police detective also sustained minor injuries and was provided with first aid at the scene.

Keana‘aina suffered minor injuries in the traffic crash and was treated at the scene by Hawaiʻi Fire Department medics. She was then arrested for an outstanding warrant and transported to the Kealakehe Police Station. The 26-year-old is also facing a litany of charges.

As the shooting incident was occurring, the white Dodge sedan, thought to be driven by Kahihikolo, was seen traveling north toward Waimea. Kahihikolo abandoned the vehicle less than two hours later in the area near the 40-mile marker of Highway 19 in Hāmākua. He was arrested just before 11 a.m. the next day not far from where he abandoned the vehicle.